Before I start with my list, I will be honest on something; this year was a relatively weak year for films. I’m not saying it was a disappointing or bad year; it just wasn’t as memorable in comparison with 2009 and 2008. Most of the good films (in my opinion) were far and between from each other. I will also mention that I have not yet seen some of the films that were released this year (Precious and Winter’s Bone as examples) and only going by films released in the UK. So Black Swan, The King’s Speech and True Grit are still yet to come (those in the USA, you’re lucky!). So without further delaying, here are my personal favourite films of 2010:

5) The Road: I immediately loved the book as soon I finished reading it. So when hearing director of The Proposition, John Hillcoat and Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce would star in Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece; I couldn’t be anymore excited. The result was an astounding film and being truly faithful to the source material. Viggo Mortensen makes one of the best performances of his career. Having to be conflicted on looking after his son, and by telling him to carry the fire (humanity). The film looks beautiful, never have you felt emotion or seen a post-apocalyptic film look anything like this. It shows the world had a history, and now it doesn’t matter anymore (hence the characters are known as the Man, Boy, Woman etc.). It has a brutal honesty that most post-apocalyptic films lack, but it also has heart and it cares about the characters. It’s not interested to explain how it started or tries to bring in an action sequence or two to make it entertaining (if that’s what you’re looking for, then Roland Emmerich has no short supply of that with Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012). This film is captivating, heartbreaking and brilliant.

4) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: This film was bold and daring to be more than just a simple action flick within a teen movie. It mixes genres more than your mind can handle; it’s a gamer/movie geeks wet dream and it is done the best way possible. The film takes it to ambitious new heights. It is amazingly creative and shows the best of everyone’s talents. The performances from the cast are top-notch, and the music is very well done. This film features drama and comedy that it doesn’t treat us like idiots and actually gives the movie a brain. Edgar Wright cements himself as the King of Geek (although he already had that title since Spaced).

3) Toy Story 3: If you didn’t cry from watching this film, you have no soul! It’s a kid’s film, but also for grown-ups. This features one of the most heart-aching but soulful pieces of writing this year has to offer. It’s a movie that can be viewed by anyone at any age, and it is one of the best trilogies ever made! As the whole trilogy progresses, the true enemy of our protagonist is time itself. As we all have experiences on having to let go of our own toys when growing up. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return to voice our favourite Pixar characters, and do fantastic jobs as they did the previous two films. Thank you Pixar, for cherishing our childhood but also giving us a timeless classic that will be passed on to future generations.

2) Inception: The best science fiction film of the year and among my top favourite sci-fi films (amongst with Blade Runner etc.). The concept of dreams has probably been explored before, but never has it been immensely intriguing and devilishly exciting. Christopher Nolan has crafted another blockbuster that isn’t shy to bring some intelligence (his Batman films proved to be more adult orientated than to adolescent kids). Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a powerful performance, riddled with guilt and regret (which features Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien” as a plot device) and gives depth to the character. This film features an amazing ensemble cast; listing from Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine and even Tom Berenger (last time I saw him was in Born on the Fourth of July and Platoon). The visual effects and stunt-work should be given top credit as they looked seamless and Nolan delivered something we’ve never seen before.

1) The Social Network: When you have David Fincher directing and Aaron Sorkin being the screenwriter, you know they’re going to deliver something that’s going to be more than being ‘Facebook: The Movie’. This movie is a character study and a docu-drama, it is as exciting and interesting to watch as any action movie this year. Jesse Eisenberg delivers an electrifying performance as Mark Zuckerberg, who’s portrayed as being an ironic but yet tragic character. It’s understandable if some people may find it hard to sympathise with him, but how could you not get pulled in about a geek who made a phenomenon and made a stamp in 21st Century culture? The music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross has my vote for Best Original Score, as it is eerie and atmospheric with the use of string instruments and piano notes mixed with synths all part of Zuckerberg’s computer geek persona. This is drama at its best, and I certainly wasn’t expecting this film to succeed on being my number 1 movie of 2010.

By Owun Birkett